Spreading the Disease Tracklist

Spreading the Disease is Anthrax’s second studio album, released on October 30th, 1985. It is the first Anthrax album to feature Joey Belladonna on lead vocals and Frank Bello on bass guitar. Spreading the Disease was the band’s major label debut, released by Megaforce/Island Records.

After the ousting of former singer Neil Turbin, then the hiring and firing of Matt Fallon, the band found longtime singer Joey Belladonna. Joey was not familiar with Thrash Metal at all, but was recommended to the band by producer Carl Canedy. Reluctantly, Anthrax hired him, and began to record their sophomore album.

While the Thrash Metal genre was in its infancy, Anthrax were in their prime. Their only single from Spreading the Disease, “Madhouse”, went on to become one of Anthrax’s most famous songs. The album was received warmly by critics, and the same went for almost all Anthrax fans. In 2015, Anthrax released a special edition commemorating 30 years since the release. Spreading the Disease is ranked second in Loudwire’s article, “Anthrax Albums Ranked”.

Lyrically, songs on this album featured a whirlwind of themes. From adolescence to The Gunslinger; the mentally insane to Hitler; Gorgons to “Gung-Ho”, Spreading the Disease encompassed a seemingly random plethora of ideas in just 43 minutes. After all, what would an early Joey Belladonna Anthrax album be without a song about a Stephen King masterpiece? Scott Ian said:

It was such an important song at the time. It was super-heavy, it had this vibe and it kind of showed us where we wanted to go, and foreshadowed what we did on Among the Living. We loved it.